Preston Guilmet's three no-hit innings earned the save as Lake County -- an Indians Class A team -- won the best-of-five series, 3-2.
The celebration was underway as the Lake County Captains clinched the Midwest League title Monday night at Classic Park.The Lake County Captains, playing their first season in the Midwest League, won the league’s championship with a 3-1 victory over the Clinton (Iowa) LumberKings on Monday night at Classic Park in Eastlake.
Captains starter Giovanni Soto pitched 5 2/3 dominating innings and reliever Preston Guilmet hurled three no-hit innings for the save as Lake County clinched the best-of-five series, three games to two.
The Captains are a Class A affiliate of the Indians. Cleveland's Class AAA team, the Columbus Clippers, won the International League championship last week.
Soto, a 20-year-old left-hander acquired from the Detroit organization in the July 28 Indians trade that sent Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers, allowed one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine and walked two.
Right-hander Jeremy Johnson relieved Soto after Clinton tied the game, 1-1, with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Johnson retired the one batter he faced, and got credit for the win when the Captains scored in the bottom of the inning.
Center fielder Delvi Cid drew a one-out walk, then stole his sixth base of the postseason. Shortstop Casey Frawley lined a two-out single to center to score Cid and give the Captains a 2-1 lead.
Guilmet, a right-hander, struck out five and walked one. He pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings and got five saves in six playoff appearances. He struck out 18, walked three and gave up three hits.
Left fielder Jonathan Burnette singled, went to third on a single by catcher Roberto Perez and scored on first baseman Jason Smit’s double play grounder for a 1-0 Captains lead in the fifth inning. Burnette singled and scored in the seventh inning, too, with the help of sacrifice bunts by Perez and Smit, a Clinton error and right fielder Greg Folgia’s sacrifice fly.
Notes: The Captains won two best-of-three playoff series to get to the championship series. They bested the West Michigan Whitecaps, two games to one, in the first round, and the Great Lake Loons, two games to one, in the second round. ... The Captains' starting pitcher on Monday, LH Giovanni Soto, was 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA in six regular season starts with the Captains. The Indians acquired him from West Michigan, a Detroit Tigers farm team, in exchange for Jhonny Peralta on July 28. ... Going into Monday night's game, the Captains' leaders in batting average during the playoffs were SS Casey Frawley, .310 (13-of-42); OF Jason Smit, .286 (10-of-35); RF Greg Folgia, .286 (10-of-35); 2B Argenis Martinez, .280 (7-of-25); OF Jonathan Burnette, .278 (10-of-36); OF Tyler Holt, .268 (11-of-41). ... RH reliever Francisco Jimenez was 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in five playoff games, striking out 10 while allowing 11 hits and three walks in 8 2/3 innings.